Screening Locations
You cannot rely on symptoms to tell whether you have HIV. The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. Knowing your status is important because it helps you make healthy decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can access treatments and information to help you manage the condition and delay the onset of Aids, should you test positive for HIV. The earlier on in the progress of the infection you get tested and get effective treatment, the easier it is to keep your immune system healthy. Your doctor can monitor your immune system and help you avoid opportunistic diseases, or manage these when they occur. You could arrange for testing in one of the below places.
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AIDS Hotline of the Department of Health 2780 2211 - Nurse counsellor will make an appointment for you. The testing service is free, anonymous and confidential.
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Social Hygiene Clinic - provides testing, treatment and counselling on sexually transmitted infections
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Community organisations, for example, A-Backup, Action for REACH OUT, AIDS Concern, Project Touch of The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, Community Health Organisation for Intervention, Care and Empowerment Limited, Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, JJJ Association, Midnight Blue, Rainbow of Hong Kong, Rainbow Action (Tel: 6998 1069), The Society for AIDS Care (Tel: 6730 8050), The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention (Mercury III Health Education Centre, Teen’s Key, Zi Teng
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Private Clinics
Cervical cancer is preceded by the development of abnormal cells in the cervix. If left untreated, these pre-cancerous cells may change and become cervical cancer over five to ten years. Women with pre-cancerous lesions do not have symptoms. Cervical screening aims to prevent cervical cancer by detecting and treating these abnormalities. Treatment of pre-cancerous lesions has a cure rate that is close to 100%.
Cervical smear is a quick and simple test for women to detect abnormal cell changes in the cervix, which may progress to cancer if ignored. Cervical cancer screening location can be found here.
Prevention and Screening
Primary prevention is of utmost importance for prevention of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) as many of the risk factors are modifiable.
Since CRC arises predominantly from precancerous adenomatous polyps developed over a long latent period, it is one of the few cancers that can be effectively prevented through organized and evidence-based screening.
The Cancer Expert Working Group (CEWG) of Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection recommends that average risk people aged 50 to 75 should consult their doctors to consider one of the following screening methods:
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annual or biennial faecal occult blood test (FOBT);
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sigmoidoscopy every 5 years;
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colonoscopy every 10 years.
Learn more about prevention and screening for colorectal cancer by clicking here.
Screening Programme and Screening Locations
Hong Kong has a Government-subsidised Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme with large number of applicable screening location for free. Find out if you are eligible and screening locations for Primary Care Doctor and Colonoscopy Specialist.